Trunk



(No Model.)

P. E. RICH. TRUNK.

No. 552,485. Patented Dec. 31, 1895.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()EEicE.

PERLEY E. RICH, OF MALDEN, MASSACHUSETTS.

TRU

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 552,485, dated December 31, 1895.

Application filed July 8, 1895. Serial No. 555,226. (No model.) i

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PERLEY E. RIC-H, a citizen of the United States, residing at Malden, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Trunks, of which the following is a specification.

This improvement relates to that class of trunks and analogous receptacles in which the lid is adapted to be raised into a vertical position and remain in such position without projecting rearward from the back of the body; and it consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts whereby such result is accomplished in a cheap and efficient manner, supporting-stays rendered unnecessary and the cover held closely to the body so as to prevent any space when the lid is closed.

My present application embodies improvements in the construction and relative arrangement of parts over the subject-matter embodied in my previous application, Serial No. 514,553, filed June 14, 1894, substantially as herein fully described.

The nature of the improvement is fully described below, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a rear perspective view of a trunk embodying my improvement. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail in end elevation, showing the lid raised. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail and central cross vertical section with the lid raised. Fig. 4 is an elevation of the upper portion of one of the slotted end plates.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A represents the back, and A the ends of the body of the trunk, constructed substantially as usual with the exception that the ends are cut away at a in order to afford space for the movement of the lid. B is the lid, 13 being the ends thereof, and B the back.

Secured by suitable rivets e to the body of the trunk are the plates 0. These plates extend around the rear corners so that their main portions are secured to the ends and their extensions C to the backs by the rivets. The portions 0 and C of the plates extend upward into the portions 0 and 0", respectively, and the portions 0 are provided with the two curved slots D and E. These slots do not describe arcs of the same circle, and they are provided, each at one end, with recesses or enlargements D and E respectively. These enlargements are comparatively slight and are for the purpose below described. The portions C of the plates, and consequently the slots therein, extend up against the surface of the ends B of the trunk-lid, and headed pins F and H extend into the slots D and E respectively. ,When the lid is down, as is Fig. 1, the pins F are in the upper ends of the slots D and the pins H are in the rear ends of the slots E, said upper and rear ends being unprovided with any enlargements or recesses. When the lid is raised the pins travel to the opposite ends of the slots. These slots being not quite on arcs of a common circle, the pins crowd against the edges of the slots while the lid is being raised, and when the lid is completely raised they jump into the recesses or enlargements D E and lock the lid in such raised position sufficiently to render some little force necessary to start it toward a downward swing. Hence, of course, the lid cannot fall.

It will be noted that in my improved relative construction and arrangement of the curved or segmental slots D and E the under segmental slot E is arranged in approximately a horizontal plane with relation to the trunk body and, lid while the upper segmental slot D is arranged in approximately a vertical plane with relation thereto and above the rear end of the under slot, the relative position of the slots being such that the upper slot is arranged above the rear end of the under slot with the lower end of the upper slot within the plane of the rear end of the under slot and just above the latter. The recess or enlargement D at the lower end of the vertically-arranged slot D extends slightly in a forward direction, while the corresponding recess or enlargement E of the horizontally-arranged slot E extends similarly in a forward direction. The relative arrangement of the headed pins F and H is such that the pins are on approximately a vertical plane with relation to the lid. Thus, when the lid is down, the two pins are respectively at the upper end of the slot D and at the rear end of the slot E, and are relatively on approximately a vertical plane with relation to the lid. When the lid is raised to ver- IOO tical position, the two pins are respectively at the lower end of the slot D and the forward end of the slotE and on approximately a horizontal plane with relation to the trunk-body. This latter position of the pins, in relation to the relative arrangement of the slots as above set forth, is especially adapted for supporting the lid in fixed vertical position, and when the pins thus conjointly reach the lower end of the slot D and the forward end of the slot E they are received within the relatively arranged f0rwardly-extending recesses or e11- largements D E at the ends of the respective slots, and when in this position serve to lock the lid securely in its vertical raised position until pressure is applied to draw the pins from the recesses or enlargements at the ends of the respective slots. Byfurther having the relatively arranged slots on respectively an approximately vertical and horizontal plane, formed on arcs of different circles, the pins are adapted to respectively crowd or bear against the edge of the slot D and the edge of the slot E, so that they will jump or be automatically forced into the terminal recesses of the respective slots when the lid is raised to vertical position.

K is a plate riveted at K to the back A of the body of the trunk near its upper edge and provided with two headed pins K. These pins K extend through slots L in the leaf L of a hinge which consists of said leaf L, the leaf N and the leaf P. The leaves L and N are hinged together at N and the leaves N and P are hinged together at P. The leaf P is riveted to the top B and the back B of the lid at P. The leaf P therefore is a stationary leaf, the leaf L a sliding leaf and the leaf N a connecting and folding leaf. \Vhen the lid is closed the hinge is in the position indicated in Fig. 1, and the back B is held firmly down against the upper edge of the back A. \Vhen the lid is raised the leaf L slides down until the pins K are near the upper ends of the slots L, as in Fig. 3, and the leaf N swings in, as indicated in said figure.

Thus

the lid is stiffened and supported supplementally when :it is raised, and is held down firmly, making a tight joint at the back when it is closed.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a trunk or the like, the combination, with the trunk body and lid, of the plates 0 secured to the trunk body and provided in their projecting top portions with the relatively-arranged curved or segmental slots 1) and E, said segmental slots being on arcs of different circles and respectively provided at their end terminals with the recesses or enlargements D and E extending from their respective slots, substantially as set forth, and the pins F and H projecting from the lid into the respectiveslots and sliding in the same, the relative construction and arrangement being such that the pins respectively crowd or bear against the edge of their re spective slots so that they will jump into the end recesses or enlargements of the respective slots when the lid is in vertical raised position, whereby the lid is locked in raised position, substantiallyas and for the purpose set forth.

2. The herein described in'iprovement in trunks, comprising the trunk-body A A and bed l3 B B, the end plates 0 0 provided with the upward extensions 0 O the latter furnished with the curved slots D E, the plates K riveted to the back of the trunk near its upper edge and provided with the pins K, and the hinge consisting of thestationary leaf P secured to the trunk-lid, the slidingloaf L slotted at L and engaging with said pins K, and the connecting leaf N hinged at its opposite ends to said leaves P and K, substantially as described.

PERLEY E. RICI'I. 'lVitnesses HENRY W. WILLIAMs, A. N. BONNEY. 

